Daily Archives: January 21, 2018

Jan 21 2018

David Lynch Weekend – Dune (1984)

Director: David Lynch

Writer: David Lynch (Screenplay) Frank Herbert (Novel)

Starring: Kyle MacLachlan, Virginia Madsen, Francesca Annis, Sean Young, Sting, Everett McGill, Patrick Stewart, Max von Sydow

 

Plot: A Duke’s son leads desert warriors against the galactic emperor and his father’s evil nemesis when they assassinate his father and free their desert world from the emperor’s rule.


Tagline – You are about to enter a world where the unexpected, the unknown, and the unbelievable meet.

Runtime: 2 Hours 17 Minutes

 

There may be spoilers the rest of the review

 

Verdict: Ambitious Sci-Fi Film

 

Story: Dune starts as we learn about a single planet in the universe which contains a substance known as ‘Spice’ which is the most important item in the universe as it aids in space travel, four planets have plans to take control of the planet but the residents of the planet that remain a mystery to all.

Paul Atreides (MacLachlan) becomes the key to the peace between the planets, he heads to the planet after preparing for every known obstacle that could get in his way. The evil Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (McMillan) is planning to kill the Duke, Paul’s father and take control of Dune, can Paul fulfil his destiny and be the one to protect and save the people from this evil ruler.

 

Thoughts on Dune

 

Characters – Paul Atreides is our hero, he is the son of the Duke of the family that run by the planet of Dune, he is learning about the secrets of the planet and becomes the one person that can lead the defence from the enemy waiting to take over the planet, ending the peace. Doctor Kynes is he man that understands how the planet works, one of the resident of the planet, but he does understand how to make the best of the spice. Feyd Rautha is one of the generals set to kill the Atreides’ by Baron Harkonnen, he has swagger while enjoying the kill. Lady Jessica is the mother of Paul, she has the power of controlling minds even though she has gone against the desires of the family by having a son. Gurney Halleck is the man that has trained Paul in combat for years preparing him for any enemy attacks he may face.

Performances – The performances here work for the film Kyle MacLachlan is the leading performer and makes for a good leader in the film, the rest of the cast do embrace their characters well without looking out of place.

Story – The story does give us a lot to take in during the first hour, we must learn who is on whose side, what their plans are and just how big the world we are entering is. This can take time to process which does make for a weaker start to the movie. The second half of the film does become a battle preparation which is a lot more interesting even if a large portion is set in montage scenes. This does feel like a story that needed more time to make it easier to follow, but for a one off viewing you can see the confusion placed on parts of the film.

Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi – The action side of the film comes from the battle sequences which are highly sci-fi based with the laser guns and explosion, this is an easy part of the film to watch. Diving further into the sci-fi side of the film we have an intergalactic battle for the rule of a planet which holds the key to everything.

Settings – The settings put us on the planet of Dune, it shows us the bleak vision of the planet but the importance of what it holds.

Special Effects – The effects for the time would have been great, while they have dated they are worth praising for how they re-defined cinema.


Scene of the Movie – Taming the Worm.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – There is a lot to take in.

Final Thoughts – This is a sci-fi film with ambitious that is just too much for the ideas behind everything. this is a film that can be enjoyed unless you have read the source material where you might feel disappointed.

 

Overall: Sci-fi ambitious not reaching the levels.

Rating

 

 

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Jan 21 2018

Flay (2018)

Director: Eric Pham

Writer: Matthew Daley (Screenplay)

Starring: Elle LaMont, Violett Beane, A Michael Baldwin Johnny Walter, Dalton E Gray

 

Plot: After the death of her mother, an estranged daughter struggles to save her brother, and those around her from a malevolent faceless spirit.


Runtime: 1 Hour 34 Minutes

 

There may be spoilers the rest of the review

 

Verdict: Suspenseful Horror Mystery

 

Story: Flay starts as we learn the legend about a Native American that put a curse on a chain before being murdered by the incoming Americans. Move to present day and Moon (LaMont) returns home after the mysterious death of her mother, needing to rebuild her relationship with her young brother River (Gray).

Back in her family home, Moon starts to experience strange visions after making contact with the chain and soon she must find a way to stop the curse from spreading through her family.

 

Thoughts on Flay

 

Characters – Moon left her family home at a young age after a damaged relationship with her mother, not she must return to help after her mother’s death, only to find herself needing to battle against a spirit desperate for vengeance from beyond the grave. River is the younger brother of Moon, he had to remain at home to take care of his mother through her own demons, he hands around stoners that are dopey idiots and for the first half of this film you will hate this character. Billy is the neighbour, family friend and one of the only people Moon knows when she returns.

Performances – Elle LaMont in the leading role is good, she is everything we would come to expect in a leading lady on horror, able to play the broken while looking beautiful at the same time. Dalton E Gray does a good job to make us hate his character, but understand why he is acting the way he is, this can be hard to get right, he gets it just right. The rest of the cast are good for their own parts without needing to do too much with their characters.

Story – The story follows a family that must reunite after a death in the family only to find themselves being haunted by an ancient spirit who is out to kill people in an act of vengeance. The rebuilding of the family is by the book stuff, the siblings that clash is an arc which works for horror, being explained about the spirit in the opening sequence works too. Where some of the story goes missing is the characters never getting to learn about the curse and the spirits motives. The final act does feel rushed after a build up which has played out at a different pace too.

Fantasy/Horror/Mystery – The fantasy helps with the horror as we learn about the spirit that has come for our victims, which does only add to the mystery for the characters over the audience as we know what is going on,

Settings – The settings used keep us contained with the small town, where everyone seems to know everyone, which increases the worry about the deaths.

Special Effects – The effects are a mixed bag, there was one moment which look fantastic, but other moments don’t seem as strong.


Scene of the Movie – The spirit strikes the friends.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – The kids are so stupid and seemingly don’t have parents.

Final Thoughts – This is a good horror that does have plenty of positives, we have a villainous character that would look frightening if it came for you. We do have a by the book character arc and a rushed finished, but the build up is the highlight of the film.

 

Overall: Good horror for the horror fans to enjoy.

Rating

 

 

Jan 21 2018

ABC Film Challenge – What I Enjoyed in 2017 – U

What I Enjoyed in 2017

U

This month I won’t be doing reviews at all, just a small discussion to what I enjoyed last year, you will be able to find my reviews by following the link HERE

Movie

Mission Control: The Unsung Heroes of Apollo

Why I’ve Picked this choice – This is a documentary much like what the title says, it shows the men and women that worked in mission control during the Apollo missions, from the tragedies to the moment that change history, landing on the moon. It goes through the pressure they felt even though they were helpless to effect moments that happened, lessons learned along the way and is a film for any space travel enthusiast.

Jan 21 2018

2017 Award Best Sci-Fi

2017 Award

Best Sci-Fi

January is here and that means award season and for the whole of January I will be looking at a range of best and worst subjects, before going into what I think are the true best nominations.

NOMINATIONS

The Discovery

War for the Planet of the Apes

Anti Matter

What Happened to Monday

Blade Runner 2049

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Winner

Blade Runner 2049

Reason – This was a tough year, because each of these movies has a different element of sci-fi I truly enjoyed. I have gone with Blade Runner 2049 because it is easily the best visual experience of the year in a futuristic world where a mystery needs to be solved. This was just fantastic and something people should be enjoying.